Self-propelled vehicle for a rock working machine

ABSTRACT

A vehicle carries an extensible boom rotatable about a horizontal and vertical axes. The end of the boom arm carries a universally articulated rock breaking tool mounting means. The vehicle has two ground engaging sole plates carrying hydraulic rams for raising the remainder of the vehicle from the floor to enable the vehicle to be advanced by a pair of advancing rams which are independently operable to enable the vehicle to be steered. The raising rams act on pivotal links which have rollers at their free ends to bear on an underneath surface of the chassis. The sole plates are in open-bottomed channel-like parts of H-section beams whose upper parts are sealed and act as sumps for hydraulic fluid and as radiators to dissipate heat. Control of the boom is from either side of the vehicle by means of a changeover valve. Control of advancing and reversing movement of the vehicle is from the front or rear of the vehicle.

United States Patent [1 1 Mappin et al.

[ SELF-PROPELLED VEHICLE FOR A ROCK WORKING MACHINE [75] Inventors:Henry Mappin,

Ashton-in-Makerfield; Joseph Gaskell, Wigan, both of England [73]Assignee: Dobson Park Industries Limited,

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England [22] Filed: Nov. 12, 1971 [21]Appl. No.: 198,365

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 18, 1970 Great Britain54,722/70 56] 7 References Cited I UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,306,6632/1967 Webster 299/31 51 Aug. 28, 1973 Attorney-Berman, Davidson &Berman [57] ABSTRACT A vehicle carries an extensible boom rotatableabout a horizontal and vertical axes. The end of the boom arm carries auniversally articulated rock breaking tool mounting means. The vehiclehas two ground engaging sole plates carrying hydraulic rams for raisingthe remainder of the vehicle from the floor to enable the vehicle to beadvanced by a pair of advancing rams which are independently operable toenable the vehicle to be steered. The raising rams act on pivotal linkswhich have rollers at their free ends to bear on an underneath surfaceof the chassis. The sole plates are in openbottomed channel-like partsof I-I-section beams whose upper parts are sealed and act as sumps forhydraulic fluid and as radiators to dissipate heat. Control of the boomis from either side of the vehicle by means of a changeover valve.Control of advancing and reversing movement of the vehicle is from thefront or rear of the vehicle.

9 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Patented Aii'g. 28,1973

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SELF-PROPELLED VEHICLE FOR A ROCK I WORKING MACHINE Thepresent invention concerns self-propelled vehicles for use in mines andquarries.

It is known to attack rock, for example, when drilling a roadway in acoal mine, by means of a rock breaking tool carried on a self-propelledvehicle. It is this type of vehicle with which the present invention isparticularly concerned.

in view of the uneven floors encountered in quarries and mines, wheeledvehicles are unsuitable. Various forms of propulsion have been proposedincluding a.

form of propulsion in which hydraulically extensible legs push down onthe floor of the mine working to take the main weight of the vehiclewhich is then advanced by a further hydraulic ram.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided avehicle for a rock breaking tool comprising at least three floorengaging-members, each extending in a fore-and-aft direction, two ofsaid members being displaceable relative to the plane of the thirdmember (i.e up and down), and in the fore-and-aft directionindependently of each other, and a universally moveable boom surmountedthereupon for supporting the rock breaking tool.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided avehicle comprising a chassis, two open-bottomed beams attached belowsaid chassis and extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle,a boom mounted on said chassis for pivotal movement about a horizontalaxis and about a vertical axis, hydraulic means for moving said boomabout said axes, the boom being telescopically extensible and having auniversally articulated rock breaking tool mounting means at the freeend thereof and drive means for positioning said mounting means in anydesired orientation,

' a sole plate disposed in each of said beams, each of said sole platescarrying a plurality of hydraulically extensible members which bear onan internal downward facing surface of the respective beam through theintermediary of rollers, and a horizontally extending ram connectingeach of said sole plates to the respective beam and serving for therelative advance of the sole plate in I relation to the respective beam.

By horizontally extending is meant that the ram imparts a horizontalcomponent of force and does not imply that the ram cannot be inclined.

Preferablyeach beam is of H-cross-section-with the tops of the uprightsjoined together so as todefine a closed tank-at the top, and at thebottom a downward facing channel in which the sole plate is disposed.The two tanks can serve simultaneously as a sump for the hydraulic fluidand also as cooling radiators.

Preferably the vehicle has on it a pump for circulating the hydraulicfluid under pressure. This pump can be driven by an electric motor (forunderground working) or by a prime mover such as a diesel engine (forquarry or other open-air use).

The vehicle will normally-be controlled by an operator alongside thevehicle. For this purpose two banks of control valves are provided oneon each side of the ve- The control valves are preferably ganged so thatfor example the control valves for causing the boom to pivot about avertical and horizontal axes are actuated by a single control handle orlever in the manner of a 5 joy-stick control.

Filters will be disposed in the hydraulic circuit and an advantageousfeature of the present invention resides in that these filters aremounted in a carriage along one edge of the chassis. The carriage ispivotable about an axis parallel to said edge so that the filters can beswung about said axis for ease of replacement and servicing.Conveniently the filters are held in their normal position by means of abar which can be slid out to allow the filters to be pivoted and thenslid back behind the filters to hold them in their servicing position.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example,with reference to the accompanying drawings.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a simplified side elevation partly in sectionof a self-propelled vehicle omitting some components mounted above achassis,

FIG. 2 isa plan view of the vehicle showing alternative positions of arock-breaking tool carrier boom.

The vehicle shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a chassis or base plate 11.Two beams 12 are carried immoveably on the underside of this chassis.These beams extend, one on each side of the vehicle, in the fore-andaftdirection of the vehicle and are floor engaging members. On the upperside of the chassis, there is a turntable 14 pivotal about a verticalaxis 14a, and having a bracket 18a supporting a boom 15 for movementabout a-horizontal axis 15a. A hydraulic ram 16 is disposed to causemovement about the horizontal axis and a hydraulic ram 17 (FIG. 2) isdisposed to cause movement about the vertical axis. The boom istelescopically extensible and retractable (by means not shown) andcarries at its free end a universally articulated mounting means 18 fora rock breaking tool 19. The end of the boom is rotatable about the axisof the boom by a motor 170. A pair ofjhydraulic rams 20 operating inpush-pull are arranged to move the rock breaking tool about an initiallyvertical axle 21 and a further hydraulic ram 22 is arranged to move therock breaking tool about an initially horizontal bearing 23. The rockbreaking tool is preferably a reciprocating chisel member, so mewhatakin to a pneumatic road breaker. Each beam 12 is of H-section closed atthe'top by means of a closure plate or by means of the chassis itself.The

these bottom halves. Baffles are provided in the sumps.

so that the contents of the sumps are kept in motion by the circulationof the hydraulic fluid without any dead spaces and thus so that thehydraulic fluid loses heat to atmosphere over the entire wall area ofthe sumps.

inside each of these bottom halves there is a moveable and retractablefloor engaging member or sole plate 27 carrying a pair of spaced aparthydraulic rams 28 which during their extension push on links 29. Eachlink 29 is pivoted at one end to a support 30 carried from the soleplate and carries, at its other end, a roller 29a which engages on theunder surface of the top of the respective channel-like section.interconnecting each sole plate and the respective beam there is ahorizontally extending ram 31 which is pivotally connected to therespective beam by a pivot 31a. This ram causes relative movement of thesole plate and the beam, the one which moves depends on whether the soleplate or the beam is engaged with the floor. The two rams 31 areindependently operable. Steering of the vehicle is by causing one sideof the vehicle to move faster than or in the opposite direction to, theother.

Also on the upper surface of the chassis there is mounted an electricmotor 32 driving a pump 33. The motor is electrically driven from anintrinsically safe electrical supply at NO volts. The output of the pumpis delivered to a pressure accumulator 34 from which the varioushydraulic rams are supplied. The input to the pump is taken from thesumps through a bank of filters 37. Each of these filters is of the typewith a screwon casing enclosing a replaceable filter element. The

filters depend from a carriage which is pivotable about' an axisparallel to an edge of the vehicle adjacent the filters and are trappedin position by a horizontal bar (not shown). On removing the bar it ispossible to pivot the carriage about its axis and then to replace thebar to hold the carriage so that the filters are in an inclined positionfor ease of screwing off the casings and replacing the elements asdesired. The leads to the filters are so disposed that they donot haveto be dismantled to enable the filter element to be replaced.

Disposed on the forward end of the vehicle there are two banks ofcontrol valves 38, one each side of the vehicle, and means for operatinga valve for changing over control from one side of the vehicle to'theother. There is of course, a separate valve for each mode of adjustmentof the boom, or of the mounting means at the end thereof. However thetwo valves for controlling pivoting of the same component about two axesat right angles are ganged together for operation by a single controlhandle or lever. A pair of double acting valves 38 are associated with auniversally pivotal joy-stick handle 39. The axes of the valves areparallel to the neutral position of the joy-stick handle and the valvespools are connected to the handle for pushing and pulling. I

Preferably the handles and valves are so disposed on the chassis thatthe operator moves the handle in the same direction as he wishes thecomponent to move.

Preferably the chassis is provided with a number of emergency stoppoints so that in an emergency further actuation of the valves isprevented.

it is of course obvious that this form of rock breaking tool finds otherapplications such as breaking up roadways, demolition, or diggingtrenches. in use in mines this too] would cut slits in to a face toenable the rock to be broken away in lumps as this saves dirt and dust.The tool could be transversed taking a light cut to give the finalroadway profile.

The controls for advancing the vehicle are valves mounted on the rear ofthe vehicle. Each of these valves is independent of the other in itscontrol of its respective ram 31 but can be linked by a suitable controlarranged for advancing, reversing or steering of the vehicle by a singleoperating member. It is advantageous to have the advancing controlsduplicated on the front of the vehicle and to have an interlock so thatthe vehicle cannot be caused to advance from the front of the vehicle orto reverse from the back of the vehicle.

We claim:

1. A self-propelled walking vehicle for a rock work ing machinecomprising a first floor engaging means, hydraulic jack means mounted onsaid first floor engaging means, a second floor engaging means mountedover said jack means for raising and lowering thereby relatively to thefirst floor engaging means, roller means interposed between said jackmeans and said second floor engaging means thereby to support saidsecond floor engaging means on said jack means for movement in thefore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, pressure fluid ram meansconnected between the first and second floor engaging means andoperative alternately to move said second floor engaging means in thefore-and-aft direction of the vehicle when said second floor engagingmeans is raised by said jack means and to move the first floor engagingmeans in the fore-andaft direction of the vehicle when said second floorengaging means is lowered by said jack means to its floor engagingposition, and a universally movable boom mounted on the vehicle forsupporting a rock breaking tool.

2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is a first and secondfloor engaging means and a pressure fluid ram means for affectingalternate movement thereof on each side of the vehicle, the pressurefluid ram means of the two pairs of floo'r engaging means beingindependently operable whereby the vehicle can be steered.

3. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 in combination with a rock breakingtool in the form of a reciprocable chisel.

4. A self-propelled walking vehicle for a rock working machinecomprising a chassis, two floor engaging open-bottom beams attachedbelowsaid chassis and extending in the fore-and-aft direction of thevehicle, a boom mounted on the chassis for pivotal movement about ahorizontal axis and a vertical axis, hydraulic means formoving said boomabout said axis, the boom being telescopically extensible and having auniversally articulated rock breaking tool mounting-means at the freeend thereof and a drive means for positioning said mounting means in anydesired orientation, a sole plate disposed in each of said beams, aplurality of hydraulically extensible members mounted on each of saidsole plates and operative to raise and lower said beams, roller meansinterposed between said hydraulically extensible members and beamsthereby to support said beams on said extensible members for movement inthe fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and a horizontally extendingram means connected between each of said sole plates and its respectivebeam and operative to move said beams in the fore-and-aft direction ofthe vehicle when raised by said extensible members and to move the soleplates in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle when said beam hasbeen lowered by said extensibie members to its floor engaging position.

5. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4 wherein said roller means comprisesrollers carried by links pivotally con nected to the sole plates andpositioned so as to be engaged by the extensible members thereby toapply said rollers to said beams.

6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4 having independent control means oneach side of the vehicle.

7. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4 wherein each beam is of H-crosssection with the tops of the side flanges and the hydraulic fluidreturning to the pump through the tank.

9. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7 wherein said closed tanks containbaffles whereby to minimise dead spaces in the tanks to maximise heatdissipation.

1. A self-propelled walking vehicle for a rock working machinecomprising a first floor engaging means, hydrAulic jack means mounted onsaid first floor engaging means, a second floor engaging means mountedover said jack means for raising and lowering thereby relatively to thefirst floor engaging means, roller means interposed between said jackmeans and said second floor engaging means thereby to support saidsecond floor engaging means on said jack means for movement in thefore-andaft direction of the vehicle, pressure fluid ram means connectedbetween the first and second floor engaging means and operativealternately to move said second floor engaging means in the foreand-aftdirection of the vehicle when said second floor engaging means is raisedby said jack means and to move the first floor engaging means in thefore-and-aft direction of the vehicle when said second floor engagingmeans is lowered by said jack means to its floor engaging position, anda universally movable boom mounted on the vehicle for supporting a rockbreaking tool.
 2. A vehicle as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is afirst and second floor engaging means and a pressure fluid ram means foraffecting alternate movement thereof on each side of the vehicle, thepressure fluid ram means of the two pairs of floor engaging means beingindependently operable whereby the vehicle can be steered.
 3. A vehicleas claimed in claim 1 in combination with a rock breaking tool in theform of a reciprocable chisel.
 4. A self-propelled walking vehicle for arock working machine comprising a chassis, two floor engagingopen-bottom beams attached below said chassis and extending in thefore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, a boom mounted on the chassis forpivotal movement about a horizontal axis and a vertical axis, hydraulicmeans for moving said boom about said axis, the boom beingtelescopically extensible and having a universally articulated rockbreaking tool mounting-means at the free end thereof and a drive meansfor positioning said mounting means in any desired orientation, a soleplate disposed in each of said beams, a plurality of hydraulicallyextensible members mounted on each of said sole plates and operative toraise and lower said beams, roller means interposed between saidhydraulically extensible members and beams thereby to support said beamson said extensible members for movement in the fore-and-aft direction ofthe vehicle, and a horizontally extending ram means connected betweeneach of said sole plates and its respective beam and operative to movesaid beams in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle when raised bysaid extensible members and to move the sole plates in the fore-and-aftdirection of the vehicle when said beam has been lowered by saidextensible members to its floor engaging position.
 5. A vehicle asclaimed in claim 4 wherein said roller means comprises rollers carriedby links pivotally connected to the sole plates and positioned so as tobe engaged by the extensible members thereby to apply said rollers tosaid beams.
 6. A vehicle as claimed in claim 4 having independentcontrol means on each side of the vehicle.
 7. A vehicle as claimed inclaim 4 wherein each beam is of H-cross section with the tops of theside flanges joined so as to define a closed tank, the bottoms of theside flanges defining a downward facing channel in which the respectivesole plate is displaceable.
 8. A vehicle as claimed in claim 7 having apump for circulating hydraulic fluid under pressure, said closed tank ofeach beam providing a source for said pump and the hydraulic fluidreturning to the pump through the tank.
 9. A vehicle as claimed in claim7 wherein said closed tanks contain baffles whereby to minimise deadspaces in the tanks to maximise heat dissipation.